


What Your Dad Is

by Spideyfan62



Category: Spider-Man (Video Games 2018-2020), Spider-Man - All Media Types
Genre: But we all knew that, F/M, Gen, Mary Jane Is A Good Mom, Miles Morales Is A Hero, Now Annie Does Too, POV Mary Jane Watson, Peter Parker is a hero, Post-Spider-Man PS4, Post-Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Supportive Mary Jane Watson
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-30
Updated: 2020-12-30
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:07:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28425954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spideyfan62/pseuds/Spideyfan62
Summary: "It isn't?""Nope," Mary Jane confirmed with a solid shake of her head. "Sure, his powers help, but it's what your dad is on the inside that makes him so heroic."
Relationships: Annie Parker & Peter Parker, Mary Jane Watson & Annie Parker, Miles Morales & Peter Parker, Peter Parker/Mary Jane Watson
Comments: 2
Kudos: 23





	What Your Dad Is

**Author's Note:**

> In This Story: Mary Jane explains to her daughter what makes her father a hero, and how she can be a hero too. 
> 
> Title based off the Arrow season 6 track of the same name, which plays during a scene in the season that this is very loosely inspired by.

Mary Jane typed away at her desk computer, trying to finish the last tweaks she wanted for her article. She was more than accustomed to staying up late, but today she had brought along her six year old daughter, Annie May, along as well. It was supposed to be a quick run in to make a few small adjustments, but it instead became a serious reworking of much of her article. Mary Jane wanted anything she did to show she had put her best foot forward, and this was especially the case with her work. However, it was already a half an hour past Annie's bed time as it was. Neither Mary Jane nor Peter were terribly rigid about bedtime, but they tried their best to stay consistent at least. 

Thankfully, Annie was more than content to just occupy herself with her books. Mary Jane peered down to check on her, seeing her still sitting on the floor in the corner of her office, reading devoutly. While their daughter had inherited Mary Jane's more outgoing personality, Annie had clearly also inherited Peter's fascination with knowledge, especially anything involving the physical forces of the world and how they operate. The little girl was currently looking through a book on sea creatures; Mary Jane watched for a moment as the girls eyes seemed to pour over every detail on each page, showing no apparent signs of fatigue just yet. 

Mary Jane smiled at this sight, taking it in for a moment before returning to her work, typing away. A few minutes later, the article was finally enough to her liking that she felt okay about calling it a night. 

"Alright Annie, finally finished," Mary Jane announced, saving her work before turning off her computer. She then turned to her daughter, leaning back in her chair as she continued: "you ready to head home?" 

The girl looked up and nodded to her mother, and Mary Jane noticed the first signs of fatigue as her daughter's eyes started to subtly close just a bit. She walked over, helping the girl put her book away before scooping her daughter up in her arms, settling her in the right while carrying the bag containing her books in the left. She made her way out of her office into the more open area. Not many were left, as most of the staff had either gone home for the day or were out chasing leads in the field. Mary Jane started to stroll along when something captured Annie's attention. 

"Mommy, look!" the girl cried out. Mary Jane turned to see that her daughter was talking about what was on the television screen mounted on the wall nearby: live footage of none other than the two Spider-Men of NYC fighting against several members of a gang in the open streets. This newer group had been growing more bold, and Peter and Miles had been looking more into the group and what they wanted recently. It seems tonight they might've stumbled upon quite a bit. 

"It's daddy mommy!" the girl said excitedly. Mary Jane quickly shushed her daughter, though she still couldn't help but let out a small chuckle and a smile at her daughter's enthusiasm at seeing her superhero daddy in action. Her and Peter only recently decided the girl was finally ready to be entrusted with the big Parker secret; but right now, she wasn't exactly proving it. 

"Shhh," Mary Jane said. "Remember, it's our little secret!" 

"Oh right, sorry," the girl said apologetically to her mother before turning her eyes back to the TV. They both just stared at the action on the screen for a few seconds, Mary Jane smiling widely at seeing the man who was her best friend and husband do what he did best. She glanced towards Annie after a moment, and her face grew concerned at the shift in the girl's facial expression. Instead of wide eyed and mouth open, the girl sported a more pensive look. 

"Annie, what is it?" Mary Jane asked. 

"Mommy," the girl started, but there was a brief pause before the girl turned to her mother and continued: "what daddy does is dangerous, isn't it?" 

Mary Jane's face evened out at her daughter's more serious question. She glanced away for a moment as she pondered how to answer. The girl was so young, but at the same time, her and Peter agreed that they needed to be as honest with her as they felt the girl could handle at her age. But how much was that? 

"Yes Annie, it is," Mary Jane said, looking her daughter in the eyes. "But he's very good at what he does. Plus, he's not out there alone." 

"You mean the other Spider-Man?" the girl asked curiously. 

"Yep," Mary Jane replied. "You know who it is?" 

The girl shook her head. 

Mary Jane glanced around to make sure no one was close enough to listen in before turning back to her daughter, moving her face close to the little girl's. 

"It's your Uncle Miles." 

The girl's head jerked back as her eyes widened in surprise. 

"Really?" 

"Yep," Mary Jane confirmed.

"Wow," the girl said as she looked back towards the TV. After a moment though, she gave her mom a skeptical look that made Mary Jane almost a little nervous about what she was going to say next. 

"Mommy, you don't have super powers to do you?" 

Mary Jane couldn't help but let out a chuckle at her daughter as she shook her head in response. 

"No, no powers for me I'm afraid," she replied. "But you know, it's not the powers that makes your dad a hero."

Annie tilted her head, a confused look on her face. 

"It isn't?" 

"Nope," Mary Jane confirmed with a solid shake of her head. "Sure, his powers help, but it's what your dad is on the inside that makes him so heroic." 

"I don't understand," Annie replied. 

"Well," Mary Jane said, setting Annie back down feet first on the ground; the girl had been getting heavy in her right arm. "Do you remember when you didn't listen to us last week and climbed on the couch, and your dad had to catch you when you fell?" 

The girl blushed a little in embarrassment at the memory. 

"Yeah," she admitted. 

"Well, you disobeyed both me and your dad, and he could've been mad at you," Mary Jane said. "But instead, he simply showed you how your actions had consequences. You see Annie, your dad believes that we all have a power within us." 

"We do?" Annie said enthusiastically. "What is it?" 

"It's called doing the right thing," Mary Jane said. "Every day, we can either do things that only benefit us, or we can work to help others and make the world a better place. Being Spider-Man is just one way that he does it, but he also tries to do it by helping out friends, family, or even strangers. He believes that we have a responsibility to use the power we all have to make the lives of those around us better. If we all do that, then the world will be a little better of a place." 

Annie didn't respond immediately, seemingly taking everything in. She was a smart girl who also already showed a fair amount of emotional intelligence for her age as well, so Mary Jane often felt confident about talking this way to her. 

"And Uncle Miles believes that too?" the girl finally asked. 

"Oh yes," Mary Jane replied with a smile. "He likes to say that your dad taught him that, but I think he had it in him all along. The two of them are a lot alike that way. So Annie, even though what they do is dangerous sometimes, they're doing it because they believe they have a responsibility to use their powers to protect and help people." 

"So they can make the world a better place?" Annie said, connecting the dots. 

"That's right," Mary Jane said, smiling a proud smile at her little girl. 

The girl looked up to the TV screen. 

"I hope I can make a difference some day," she said. 

"You can, and you will," Mary Jane assured her daughter. "You just have to make the choice to do so whenever you see a chance." 

The little girl smiled in response. 

"Now come on," Mary Jane said. "It's time to go home." 

As Mary Jane lead her daughter towards the exit, a man a bit to the right of them was also about to exit, but he dropped the papers he was carrying, causing them to spill out across the floor. Suddenly, Annie let go of her mother's hand, rushing over. Mary Jane nearly called out to her daughter before she realized what she was doing: she was helping the man pick up his papers. 

"Why thank you," the man said as Annie handed him the papers she had collected. 

"No problem," the little girl said before trotting back to her mother, taking her hand. 

Mary Jane looked forward, smiling a wide smile. 

Somehow, some way, she just knew that her daughter would end up being a hero one day as well, just like her dad.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you all enjoyed this! 
> 
> My prayers continue to go out for you all. Stay as safe and healthy as you can. And remember, one person can make a difference. 
> 
> "Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?' The expert in the law replied, 'The one who had mercy on him.' Jesus told him, 'Go and do likewise.'" Luke 10:25-37


End file.
